10 Awesome Anime Openings And Endings From Q3 2014

New anime music is one of the things I look most forward to each season. And as we have 44 new anime for the Q3 season, we also have 44 new openings and endings — not to mention the new second-half themes from last season's anime that are still on the air.

So below are some of my favourite opening and ending songs from the anime that are currently airing during the Q3 2014 season in Japan.

Anime: Barakamon
Song: "Rashisa"
Artist: Super Beaver
Why Do I Love It? This is a great upbeat, yet easy going, rock song that will just stick in your head. Moreover, the opening is practically an episode in and of itself as it tells a short, self-contained adventure between the lead characters.
Anime: Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun
Song: "Kimijanakya Dame Mitai"
Artist: Masayoshi Oishi
Why Do I Love It? This song is just pure fun. It starts out as disco and ends up as something between big band and 90's rock. It's amazing.
Anime: Aldnoah.Zero
Song: "Heavenly Blue"
Artist: Kalafina
Why Do I Love It? Angelic, dark, tension-building, hauntingly beautiful, hopeful — these are all adjectives I would use to describe this song. It's rare for one song to cover so much emotional ground.
Anime: Sword Art Online II
Song: "Ignite"
Artist: Eir Aoi
Why Do I Love It? I just love j-pop songs with a soprano capable of just belting out those powerful high notes. The awesome sword versus gun fighting animation doesn't hurt either.
Anime: Sailor Moon Crystal
Song: "Moon Pride"
Artist: Momoiro Clover Z
Why Do I Love It? Simply put, it is a song that just "fits" Sailor Moon — as it was likely designed to. Moreover, the opening animation is just gorgeous to boot.
Anime: Terror in Resonance
Song: Dareka Umiwo
Artist: Aimer
Why Do I Love It? Written by Yoko Kanno, this haunting melody uses its minor key to great effect. It also excellently uses violins as a discordant counterpoint to the vocals.
Anime: Akame Ga Kill
Song: Konna Sekai, Shiritakunakatta
Artist: Miku Sawai
Why Do I Love It? Overall, it is a great ballad: slow, beautiful, and powerful. It also has a well-done build to the chorus — which is quite catchy in its own right.
Anime: Tokyo Ghoul
Song: "Unravel"
Artist: Ling Tosite Sigure
Why Do I Love It? While at first I didn't like this often falsetto-sung song, it has grown on me, especially the chorus. Moreover, this opening has some truly beautiful visuals that keep me watching it even in the time between episodes.
Anime: Nobunaga Concerto
Song: Fukagyaku Replace
Artist: My First Story
Why Do I Love It? I love the opening guitar solo and rocking chorus. It also does a nice job of showing off the merits of the series' 3D animated visuals.
Anime: Tokyo ESP
Song: Kyuusei Argyros
Artist: Yousei Teikoku
Why Do I Love It? While I'm not usually one for metal, I have to say I enjoyed this song. What makes it great is the operatic Italian background choir and how it works with the vocals and guitars. [Video contains nudity and is NSFW.]

Story time! I went to an all-girls’ school. My friends and I had that special bond of closeness that apparently comes with synced-up periods and measuring the length of each other’s winter leg hair.
This, obviously, led to a brief era of trying to catch one of the others unawares with the most impressive, most unexpected spank possible. We’re talking sneaking up behind each other in the hallway and laying one down that made the earth shake. If I couldn’t read your palm from the imprint, you weren’t doing a good enough job.